The East Bay Miracle League will hold a 5k run/walk fundraiser this Sunday to help build a sports field accessible to children with disabilities.

After the race, the League will host a “Post Dash Bash” to celebrate. The organization, part of a national network of Miracle Leagues, aims to give every child, regardless of handicap, a chance to play baseball.

The planned field will be a flat, rubberized surface painted like a baseball diamond. It’s meant to allow children in wheelchairs or on crutches to move freely, something that is difficult or impossible on a traditional grass and dirt field. Part of the goal is giving kids who don’t often get a chance to play a way to build confidence.

“You can imagine if you play baseball and you fail every time, it’s not a lot of fun,” said Roberta Rockwell, a speech therapist with Alameda Unified and head of the local Miracle League. “If they’re in a wheelchair, they can roll. If they hit the ball, the ball goes farther.”

Fields like these draw in families from a wide radius, Rockwell added. She expects the field in Alameda to pull in players and parents from across the East Bay.

“These kids, all they want to do is play,” she said. “And the parents, they’re the nicest parents, because all they want is their kids to have a chance. They’re not trying to get their kids scholarships. All they want is a chance for their kids to play.”

Anastasia Pieda of Back to Health Chiropractic Center became one of the lead organizers for the run after meeting Nicolas Simpson, a fifth-grader with vision and hearing impairments. She said this year’s run is likely the first of many.

“The big vision is a baseball field with bleachers and a concession stand that would be accessible for children with disabilities and the whole community,” Pieda said.